Why Horsetooth Reservoir got so low so quickly this summer

Jan Andersen makes her final strokes to the shores of the south bay on Horsetooth Reservoir as she completes the 2.4-kilometer swim on Sunday, September 10, 2017 (Photo: Austin Humphreys/The Coloradoan)

FORT COLLINS COLORADOAN - If you took a trip to Horsetooth Reservoir this month, you might've noticed the water looked a lot lower than it did just a few weeks ago.

In all, Horsetooth dropped 32 feet between Aug. 1 and Sept. 13. The reason for the decrease is two-fold, according to reservoir manager Northern Water.

One reason for the level change is the approaching end of the irrigation season. Water users often didn't need to take advantage of their water rights earlier in the summer, when storm clouds dropped rain on Northern Colorado several times a week.

But as the weather's dried up, Northern Water has delivered more water to ditch companies for irrigation, spokesman Brian Werner said. The Poudre and South Platte Rivers are running lower now that snowpack has waned, so irrigation water is coming out of storage at Horsetooth.